Purgatory
A/N-Like I said in earlier chapters-These characters are on loan. I don't own them and if I did, well, I can't go there, but I can't afford to be sued either. For the readers, I thank you again. Hope you are liking it.
"What?" Shalimar was stunned. "He says he's Mason Eckhardt. Jesus, Brennan, I know who he is, you don't have to be shouting it," Kari's reaction was to Brennan's silent shouts of protest, "I know he's dead."
"But how..." Shalimar asked in confusion.
Lexa watched a change in the pattern of the light in the small lab. A shadow of the light went for the computer, which had rebooted when the lights went out. She went to the computer automatically, as if in a trance. She pressed several keys and the lights came back up brightly. The computer also beeped. There was a message. She read it quickly, coming out of the near trance and looking back up at the unmoving scene.
"Brennan," she said soflty, "Charge the corner. Do it slowly."
"Charge it how, I can't see anything?" Brennan growled, his thoughts on what Kari was saying.
Kari turned to Lexa, reading the intent behind the comment.
"Tell her it won't work," she said aloud, "And I am not letting him back into Jesse."
Shalimar jumped to her feet from the defensive stance that Kari had adopted. Nothing was going to harm Jesse. She wouldn't let it.
"Kari, just do it, it will work," Lexa yelled, "It's all set up."
Kari's head turned.
"Brennan, do it. Hit the wall with all you can, slowly."
Brennan complied, hitting what he saw as an empty wall. Kari on the other hand, saw through a white-haired figure, wearing glasses and glaring at her. As Brennan's power hit him, he smiled, his face and body becoming more solid. Shalimar gasped. She saw him too.
"Lexa, do it now," Kari yelled as Lexa punched in a series of keys, locking the ghostly presence of Mason Eckhardt into a force field. The figure flickered but held as the lights came back up to full in the lab.
Brennan stopped and stared at the figure in the force field as it glared back at him.
"This shouldn't be happening," he whistled aloud.
He turned to Kari who had dropped her posture and gone to where Jesse lay. Gently, she touched his forehead. His eyes fluttered open and slowly he lifted himself up from his stomach. He settled into a sitting position and met Kari's eyes. She was touching him and this time it didn't hurt. It was the only thing that didn't as the pain of hitting the floor caused him to rub the bridge of his nose. He felt sore and his head hurt. Badly.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, slowly surveying the room.
"Something that you might not want to understand," Lexa said, crouching down next to him, "You okay?"
"I think so," Jesse nodded.
Lexa and Kari helped him to his feet, slowly and he began to walk to the other part of the lab.
Shalimar was in the other part of the lab, looking at the force field unspeaking. Lexa stood and walked up next to her, their stares being met by the ghostly figure in the field. Brennan, shaking with rage, stood away from the women, his hands in front of him.
Jesse stopped.
"Kari, what happened here?"
"As far as I can tell, that's the ghost of Mason Eckhardt. He's gone elemental in the afterlife and he's stuck here," Kari breathed, "I don't know how long the computer will hold him in this field though. He can't survive in this form without energy."
Eckhardt's lips kept moving as the figure began to look like a projection. Kari stopped for a moment then continued.
"Why did you make me do this?" Brennan growled, grabbing Kari by the arm.
The resulting pain he felt made him wish he hadn't touched her. To be slightly electrocuted can be an interesting pain, like touching a live electrical outlet, but the resulting zap sent a wave of large bore needles up Brennan's arm. In turn, Kari's arm burned slightly. She turned to him, looking deep into his eyes and meeting the rage head on. Brennan backed away, the pain overriding his anger.
"I'm sorry but it wasn't my idea," Kari spoke, "I wanted him dead and cheered the day that Emma killed him."
"Emma?" Lexa asked, her eyes going blank, "Emma wanted me to read the computer file...."
Brennan, Shalimar and Jesse turned to Lexa. She had never mentioned Emma's name before and it was too eerie to hear her say it. Emma wasn't spoke of to her, it invoked too many bad memories. Memories that all had shared, along with many good ones.
Lexa was oblivious to them. She turned and walked back to the computer. Several keystrokes later she broke the silence.
"Jesse, you need to read this, not me," she said softly, "Emma left it for you."
A/N-Like I said in earlier chapters-These characters are on loan. I don't own them and if I did, well, I can't go there, but I can't afford to be sued either. For the readers, I thank you again. Hope you are liking it.
"What?" Shalimar was stunned. "He says he's Mason Eckhardt. Jesus, Brennan, I know who he is, you don't have to be shouting it," Kari's reaction was to Brennan's silent shouts of protest, "I know he's dead."
"But how..." Shalimar asked in confusion.
Lexa watched a change in the pattern of the light in the small lab. A shadow of the light went for the computer, which had rebooted when the lights went out. She went to the computer automatically, as if in a trance. She pressed several keys and the lights came back up brightly. The computer also beeped. There was a message. She read it quickly, coming out of the near trance and looking back up at the unmoving scene.
"Brennan," she said soflty, "Charge the corner. Do it slowly."
"Charge it how, I can't see anything?" Brennan growled, his thoughts on what Kari was saying.
Kari turned to Lexa, reading the intent behind the comment.
"Tell her it won't work," she said aloud, "And I am not letting him back into Jesse."
Shalimar jumped to her feet from the defensive stance that Kari had adopted. Nothing was going to harm Jesse. She wouldn't let it.
"Kari, just do it, it will work," Lexa yelled, "It's all set up."
Kari's head turned.
"Brennan, do it. Hit the wall with all you can, slowly."
Brennan complied, hitting what he saw as an empty wall. Kari on the other hand, saw through a white-haired figure, wearing glasses and glaring at her. As Brennan's power hit him, he smiled, his face and body becoming more solid. Shalimar gasped. She saw him too.
"Lexa, do it now," Kari yelled as Lexa punched in a series of keys, locking the ghostly presence of Mason Eckhardt into a force field. The figure flickered but held as the lights came back up to full in the lab.
Brennan stopped and stared at the figure in the force field as it glared back at him.
"This shouldn't be happening," he whistled aloud.
He turned to Kari who had dropped her posture and gone to where Jesse lay. Gently, she touched his forehead. His eyes fluttered open and slowly he lifted himself up from his stomach. He settled into a sitting position and met Kari's eyes. She was touching him and this time it didn't hurt. It was the only thing that didn't as the pain of hitting the floor caused him to rub the bridge of his nose. He felt sore and his head hurt. Badly.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, slowly surveying the room.
"Something that you might not want to understand," Lexa said, crouching down next to him, "You okay?"
"I think so," Jesse nodded.
Lexa and Kari helped him to his feet, slowly and he began to walk to the other part of the lab.
Shalimar was in the other part of the lab, looking at the force field unspeaking. Lexa stood and walked up next to her, their stares being met by the ghostly figure in the field. Brennan, shaking with rage, stood away from the women, his hands in front of him.
Jesse stopped.
"Kari, what happened here?"
"As far as I can tell, that's the ghost of Mason Eckhardt. He's gone elemental in the afterlife and he's stuck here," Kari breathed, "I don't know how long the computer will hold him in this field though. He can't survive in this form without energy."
Eckhardt's lips kept moving as the figure began to look like a projection. Kari stopped for a moment then continued.
"Why did you make me do this?" Brennan growled, grabbing Kari by the arm.
The resulting pain he felt made him wish he hadn't touched her. To be slightly electrocuted can be an interesting pain, like touching a live electrical outlet, but the resulting zap sent a wave of large bore needles up Brennan's arm. In turn, Kari's arm burned slightly. She turned to him, looking deep into his eyes and meeting the rage head on. Brennan backed away, the pain overriding his anger.
"I'm sorry but it wasn't my idea," Kari spoke, "I wanted him dead and cheered the day that Emma killed him."
"Emma?" Lexa asked, her eyes going blank, "Emma wanted me to read the computer file...."
Brennan, Shalimar and Jesse turned to Lexa. She had never mentioned Emma's name before and it was too eerie to hear her say it. Emma wasn't spoke of to her, it invoked too many bad memories. Memories that all had shared, along with many good ones.
Lexa was oblivious to them. She turned and walked back to the computer. Several keystrokes later she broke the silence.
"Jesse, you need to read this, not me," she said softly, "Emma left it for you."